Can Lamar Jackson and Aaron Rodgers step up in AFC North battle?
Yahoo Sports NFL analyst Nate Tice and NFL writer Charles McDonald preview the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens matchup and question how both Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson will show up. Catch the full conversation on “Football 301” - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
AFC North battle.
I feel like this team plays every week.
Steelers, Ravens Ravens are 5.5-point favorites at home.
Over/under is 42.5.
What's your cheat sheet item for this game?
Chuck?
Ithe cheat sheet item is: don't do that.
Again, Aaron.
He was so bad last week vs. Buffalo.
Oh, unwatchably bad, then like throwing everybody under the bus throughout the week was Just bizarre, as if, like.
Like some film sessions.
Oh, are some film sessions going to Give you the fountain of youth?
Like what?
What's going on here?
I don't, I don't get it.
Um, but the Ravens, like, they're not, they're not in the right way, either.
Like Lamar Jackson's basically not practicing anymore, but which is, I, I can; I just have to imagine if they weren't still in the playoff race, Like leading the division, he'd probably be shut down at this point.
But you know, he still has stuff to play for, so he's going to go out there.
But he's not at his best self, so.
Uh, my cheat sheet item is this: if you can, if you can find maybe something a little more Entertaining to watch Aaron Rodgers play and a hobbled Lamar Jackson roam around Go there and maybe do something else.
But, uh, I really have no feel for the over under or spread on this game, because, Uh, if Lamar is going to be like this in this capacity, shoot, They lost by 20 points to the damn Bengals last week.
Um, I don't know.
They're just like in no man's land.
As far as things go, the run game hasn't been nearly as good.
So, I dont know, 5 or 5.5 feels a little high, but I also watched the Steelers last week.
So, I don't know.
They both feel so bad right now.
They both just feel awful.
Rewatching that Bengals-Ravens game, it was, you know, On film.
I started watching it and Lamar had a few Creation moments.
I'm like, man, was I too hard on him?
Like, I was saying, man, he looks off, he looks off.
And you watch the game go by.
I've never seen Lamar miss so many throws in a game where he's actually clean and just Throwing it like he just had sprays, like, That happens with quarterbacks.
Sometimes youre just off, but again, its like seeing Xerxes bleed in 300.
Where you're just like, what?
Like, what the hell?
Like, everybody makes a miss.
Yeah, but when you have 456 misses, clear misses, where Im even watching him go like, What was that?
It sprays high, sprays far.
That, to me, is like, OK, something's not right.
And he did have a couple of creative moments, he had some running moments, Which hopefully he does, because that's a big part of his game.
But you're going against this defense, and this has always been something under Tomlin.
I mean, at least since I've been in media, that they're really good against the quarterback.
Runs, and really good against scrambles.
So, he has to win from the pocket.
And I, I don't think the Steelers defense is perfect.
The Bills ran all over him, but I don't think the Ravens' run game is perfect.
I think that you, like, they haven't been efficient.
Uh, it's just that they rely on big explosive plays, which they still can get to, But I thought it was significant.
I'm watching that Bengals defense.
And anytime the Ravens went two backs, you know, with, like, an I-formation run.
Bengals teed off on it.
Like there, there must have been some indicator, some tell, Some tendency that they had.
I know it's a division matchup, but so is the Steelers.
This is another division matchup.
And I'm watching, I'm like, man, anytime Ricardo was in that fullback spot, Or, you know, in that kind of formation, they got him.
I think they had one play-action play where they, They have one good payoff of it.
But run-game wise, they just kind of stifled it every time.
Which is like, okay, these teams are figuring out this, and when that run game is not popping for 42%, 40% rushing success rate, and its more 30%, 35%.
Those are 456 runs that create 456 better opportunities for Lamar to be Lamar.
